Text Interpretation in Foreign Language Reading-to-Write

Abstract

The present study investigated how English as a foreign language (EFL) writers read and used source texts whilst reading-to-write. Two separate studies were conducted. In Study I, 16 participants were first completing a reading-to-write task on an eye-tracker, and then a stimulated recall session was performed to elicit their text interpretation processes. In Study II, another 172 participants responded to a reading-to-write process questionnaire after completing the same task. Findings from eye-tracking data, stimulated recalls, and questionnaires showed that the participants engaged in several types of text interpretation processes through task completion, and they were using different reading strategies at various stages of reading-to-write to understand and exploit the text provided in the source materials and in their own writings.